Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kalmunai

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalmunai: $512 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Kalmunai
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Kalmunai Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Kalmunai

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$512

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kalmunai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Kalmunai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $512 in Kalmunai, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Kalmunai $512

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $831 in Kalmunai, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Kalmunai $831

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $1,151 in Kalmunai, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Kalmunai $1,151

Phuket costs about 152% more than Kalmunai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Phuket and Kalmunai are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Kalmunai 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$3.90 LKR 1,298

12.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,078

$24.74 LKR 8,225

30.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿290

$7.35 LKR 2,443

18.37%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿90.9

$2.49 LKR 827

9.24%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 ฿31.06

$0.72 LKR 239

29.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.67

$0.25 LKR 82.9

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.5

$2.19 LKR 727

15.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$2.92 LKR 972

24.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.57 LKR 521

10.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$0.57 LKR 188

154.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.1

$0.76 LKR 254

97.37%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.5

$1.71 LKR 568

26.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿637

$15.45 LKR 5,139

23.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿113

$5.07 LKR 1,687

-32.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$7.67 LKR 2,551

42.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.2

$6.62 LKR 2,201

-55.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$0.81 LKR 271

108.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.2

$4.32 LKR 1,438

-49.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿70.9

$1.32 LKR 440

60.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.68

$1.09 LKR 361

33.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.66

$0.82 LKR 272

67.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.91

$1.21 LKR 404

-10.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.21

$0.46 LKR 153

19.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$10.13 LKR 3,367

-56.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿609

$13.45 LKR 4,471

35.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.2

$1.91 LKR 634

-7.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.2

$2.94 LKR 978

-2.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.32

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.5

$0.41 LKR 135

268.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.90

$0.33 LKR 110

136.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$0.91 LKR 304

321.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.65

$1.33 LKR 442

12.03%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$26.9K ฿897.3K

$43.7K LKR 14.5M

-38.49%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.3K ฿879.4K

$46.3K LKR 15.4M

-43.15%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$97.8 ฿3,265

$57.5 LKR 19.1K

70.07%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.29 ฿377

$4.29 LKR 1,427

163.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿574

$20.56 LKR 6,836

-16.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,281

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$4.45 LKR 1,478

66.97%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$530 ฿17.7K

$40.92 LKR 13.6K

1196.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿626.9K

$17.0K LKR 5.7M

10.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,059

$17.70 LKR 5,886

248.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿943

$17.18 LKR 5,712

64.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,204

$78.6 LKR 26.1K

22.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,898

$41.74 LKR 13.9K

107.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.6K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿139.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

$150 LKR 49.9K

227.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

12.5

-55.44%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kalmunai: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Kalmunai

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Kalmunai

$245 47.9% 8% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Kalmunai

$82 16.1% 34.8% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Kalmunai

$70 13.6% 43.1% $53

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Kalmunai

$104 20.3% 13.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Kalmunai

$8.9 * 1.7% 89.3% $74

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Kalmunai

$2.1 * 0.4% 96.9% $64

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Phuket are about 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $25 in Kalmunai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $245 – making Kalmunai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇰 Kalmunai

🕒 Local time

21:36 9:36 PM

20:06 8:06 PM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

25,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.51 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 374 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Kalmunai 1,830 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kalmunai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Phuket vs Kalmunai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 152% more than Kalmunai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $768 in Kalmunai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $512 in Kalmunai. That makes Kalmunai about 60% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $41 in Kalmunai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kalmunai, where all-in costs run around $512, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Kalmunai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $512 in Kalmunai to $1,294 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Kalmunai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.